The U.S. Postal Service has approximately 800 multiple-position letter sorting machines, MPLSM's, such as the Series Nos. 120 and 140, in use in postal facilities throughout the United States. Each sorting machine includes 12 operator-manned coding consoles which serve as input devices for the delivery of mail into the MPLSM for the sortation and distribution thereof to any of 277 destination receptacles. Each letter must pass before an operator who reads the address and enters certain address information into the machine via a keyboard while the mail piece is automatically deposited in a letter-conveying cart compartment. The cart and the address data in memory are then instrumental in the delivery of the mail piece to its designated receptacle.
It has been observed that the flexibility and utility of letter sorting machines might be extended if they could be provided with the ability to automatically machine-read mail pieces that have had their address information pre-coded in machine readable form on the face of the mail pieces. Under these conditions, the consoles would not require the services of operators. Rather the consoles would merely serve as document handling input devices having an automatic read capability. However, this automation would only be beneficial if it did not impair or modify existing operator-controlled console operation when the processing entails non-coded letter mail.
The present invention meets the foregoing criteria in providing for the conversion of the MPLSM's to increase their processing capabilities.